Sheet holder



G. J. PIERRE SHEET HOLDER Nov. 18, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 3, 1954 OOOO @WO OOOO INVENTO'R.

GERALD J. PIERRE ATTO R N EYS G. J. PIERRE Nov. 18, 1958 SHEET HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3, 1954 FIG".

Fl G13.

INVENTOR.

GERALD J. PIERRE AfTQRNEYs United States Patent SHEET HOLDER Gerald John Pierre, Detroit, Mich,

Application May 3, 1954, Serial No. 426,976

16 Claims. (Cl. -320) This invention relates to a sheet holder.

One object of this invention is to provide a means for holding articles of sheet material under tension, or in a desired location so that it would not be displaced when tension is applied lengthwise. Such articles might include bed clothing such as sheets, blankets, spreads, etc., having means at one or more edges of a bed which will maintain such articles smooth and straight and prevent wrinkling and pulling out. The invention might also be used in connection with other articles such as awnings, banners, pennants or sails.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder for articles of bed clothing which greatly facilitates and speeds up the making of a bed and reduces the need for daily remaking of the bed. In detail, the invention comprehends the employment of an elongated bar or rod which is adapted to be inserted in an open or partially open hem along one or more edges of an article of bed clothing, and attaching means are fixed at one or more ends of the bed for releasable engagement with the opposite ends of the bar. The bar is adapted for quick and easy engagement and disengagement with the attaching means, and only a minimum of time and effort are required to make a bed since the time consuming tucking and straightening operations are eliminated. Hospitals, hotels and other similar large institutions particularly will be aided by the application of the present invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holding means for articles of bed clothing which is readily adjustable.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a holder which is designed to cooperate with a special hem attached to the customary hem or edge of the sheet etc., or a customary hem reworked to have the same desirable features of the special hem, so as to prevent excessive travel of said hem in a direction extending lengthwise of said hemv In this connection, novel means are provided to facilitate the insertion of the rod in the hem.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a bed having several articles of bed clothing applied to the bed and secured in position thereon by the novel holding means of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the bed shown in Figure 1, illustrating to advantage the means for holding an article of bed clothing in position;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the bed shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the holding bar;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of an end portion of a sheet or other articles of bedding constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

Figure 7 is an end view of the sheet shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is similar to Figure 5 but shows a modification;

ice

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 on Figure 8;

Figure 10 is similar to Figure 6 but shows another modification;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 1111 on Figure 10;

Figures 12 and 13 show two further modifications of the invention;

Figure 14 is a fragmentary view of one corner of a sheet or other article of bedding showing a further modification;

Figures 15, 16 and 17 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 15-15, 1616 and 17-17 respectively on Figure 14;

Figure 18 is a perspective view of the attaching member employed in the invention as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4;

Figure 19 is a perspective view showing a modified form of attaching member;

Figure 20 is a detail view of the member shown in Figure 19;

Figure 21 is a perspective view similar to Figure 18 showing a further modification;

Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 21; and

Figure 23 shows in perspective another form of attaching means applied to a corner bed post.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and especially to Figures 1 to 4- inclusive, the present invention is illustrated in connection with a bed generally indicated at 10. The bed comprises a pair of laterally spaced head posts such as the one shown at 12 and foot posts such as that shown at 14 which are connected together by end rails 16 and 18 at the head and foot of the bed. The head and foot posts on each side of the bed are connected by the side rails 20 and as is customary, these side rails have inwardly directed ledge portions 22 along their lower edges for supporting the transverse slats 24. The box spring unit 26 is supported on the slats and in turn supports the mattress 28 thereabove, all in accordance with well known practice.

A plurality of articles of bed clothing, such as sheets, blankets, spreads, mattress covers, etc., are applied across the top of the mattress. Instead of securing these articles in place by the usual methods of tucking, such articles are held in place by means about to be described.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the construction of one end of an article of bedding employed in the bed assembly shown in Figures 1 to 4. It may be assumed that all of the articles of bedding are similarly constructed along their opposite ends. The article or sheet 30 is provided along the end 32 with a folded or doubled back portion 34 which is stitched to the adjacent portion of the sheet as indicated at 36 to provide a hem, as is customary practice. Attached to the hem is a strip of material 37 which is folded over upon itself to provide the top and bottom sides 38 and 39 which are connected by a bight portion 40, the free edges of the sides 38 and 39 being stitched along the hem as indicated at 41. The strip of material 37 thus provides a supplemental hem which is centered between the opposite longitudinal edges 42 and 44 of the sheet 30.

It will be noted that the top and bottom sides 38 and 39 of the supplemental hem are stitched together by lines of stitching 45 and 46 which extend parallel to the length of the supplemental hem and which are respectively located at the opposite open ends thereof. Thus the openings at the opposite ends of the supplemental hem are respectively divided into a pair of apertures 47 and 48, the aperture 48 being noticeably larger than the aperture 47.

The bar or rod 49 is illustrated in Figure 4 and will be seen to have a main intermediate portion 50 which is of cylindrical cross election, and has the reduced cylindrical end portions 51. The end portions 51 are connected to the intermediate portion 50 of the bar by the tapering or conical portions 52.

The apertures 48 in the opposite ends of the supplemental hem 37 are of a size to freely receive the intermediate portion 50 of the bar, thus permitting the latter to be inserted into the supplemental hem through either of the openings 48. Tabs 48' at opposite ends of the supplemental hem are secured to one side thereof and facilitate insertion of the bar. In assembled position, the bar 49 is disposed in the supplemental hem 37 with the opposite reduced end portions 51 thereof projecting and beyond the openings 47, as best seen in Figure 5. It will also be noted that the relatively large intermediate portion 50 of the bar 49 is slightly larger than the openings 47, preventing the bar from shifting endwise through either of the openings 47 and out of the supplemental hem.

In addition, the distance between the tapering portions 52 of the bar approximates the distance between the lines of stitching 45 and 46 so as to permit easy removal of the bar when the hem is slightly stretched lengthwise. The tapered portions should not place the hem under any tension, or at least any substantial tension, in order not to make diflicult the removal of the bar. While the bar 49 need not necessarily incorporate the tapered portions which interconnect the portions 5th and 51, nevertheless, such tapered portions are desirable in order not to subject the supplemental hem to sharp stresses.

Ordinarily a sheet or other article of bedding is of substantial width in order to overlie the opposite sides of the mattress. For this reason, the supplemental hem 37 is of considerably less width than the sheet 30, although it will be appreciated that in the case of an article of bedding such as a mattress cover, the mattress cover need not be of any greater width than the supplemental hem. In such'instances, the hem through which the holding bar 49 is inserted, may be an integral hem along the edge of the cover, and no supplemental hem would be required. Where covers of greater width are desired, permitting tucking along the sides, the customary hem may still be employed, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

As a means for holding the bar 49 and hem in fixed position with respect to the bed, the attaching brackets 5'5 are provided. These brackets are generally channelshaped, and are respectively applied to the rear sides 56 of the foot posts 14 with the channels opening towards each other. Similar brackets 55 are also respectively secured to the two head posts 12 at the rear sides 57. it will be appreciated that the brackets 55 may be applied to either of the front or rear sides of the bed posts or panels as desired. Moreover, these brackets may be attached to the inner sides 58 if desired. The brackets may be attached at other points, if desired, as for example the head or foot boards, the box spring frames, etc.

Mounting screws 59 are provided for attaching the brackets to the posts of the bed, these screws extending through the openings 60 in the flanges 61 of the brackets. Additional openings 69 are provided in the other flange 62 of the bracket so that the brackets are interchangeable and may be mounted on either side of the bed. The enlarged openings 63 are provided in each flange of the bracket and these openings 63 are respectively aligned with the openings 60 in the opposite flange, being somewhat enlarged to provide for the insertion of a screw driver for mounting the brackets. Additional openings 60 may be provided in the base of the channel for mounting the latter on the inner sides 58 of the posts.

Each flange of the brackets is provided with a series of vertically spaced openings 65, the openings 65 of one flange of a bracket being respectively aligned with the openings 65 in the other flange thereof.

The reduced end portions 51 of the bar 49 are of a dimension permitting the same to be inserted between the flange of the brackets, and pins 66 are inserted into the aligned openings 65 to span the flanges in overlying relation to the reduced end portions 51, thereby preventing upward movement of the bar 49 relative to the brackets.

It will be understood that the bar 49 is inserted in the supplemental hem of each article of bedding and that a pair of pins 66 respectively associated with the brackets are provided for engaging and holding down the ends of each bar 49. It will be understood, of course, that while a pair of pins is preferably provided for each bar 49, nevertheless only one pin per bracket may be employed for holding down a vertical stack of bars 49, as illustrated in Figure 1. Since a number of aligned openings 65 are provided for receiving the pins, obviously the sheet or other article of bedding may be adjusted by shifting the associate bar vertically in the channels and then restraining the same against further upward movement by insertion of the pins in the proper aligned openings.

As seen in Figure 1, only the lower two articles of bedding are fastened at the head end of the bed, these articles of bedding representing the mattress cover and lower sheet. The lowermost of these lower articles may be held in place merely by the pressure of the article immediately above, if desired.

The annoyanc of having an article of bedding pull out, as is often experienced With beds having the edding tucked in in the ordinary manner, is completely eliminated by the present invention. The mattress cover and lower sheet are firmly held in place at the opposite ends of the bed and it will be appreciated that the resilience of the box springs and mattress cooperates with the holding means for the opposite ends of these articles to maintain the same smooth and unwrinkled and under a slight tension. in addition, a lateral tension may be obtained because the corners are held more or less rigidly adjacent the brackets While the central portions may slack off slightly as result of the bending of the rod at the center.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate another form ofhem construction for an article of bedding generally indicated at 70. The article 70 has the usual hem 72 which is stitched along the line 73. At laterally spaced points, the top and bottom sides 74 and 75 and the connecting bight portion 76 are completely severed or notched as indicated at 73 to provide an intermediate hem section 79. The ends of the hem section '79 have the lines of stitching 82 and 83 connecting the top and bottom portions of the hem, these lines of stitching being located at the opposite ends of the intermediate hem section and extending parallel to the bight portion. The result is to provide relatively large openings 8% through which a bar 49 may be inserted into the intermediate hem secticn, and the relatively small openings 81. are sewn closed as at 84 forming a pocket for receiving the reduced end portions of the bar. It will be appreciated that the assembly comprising the reduced ends of the bar enciosed in the pockets will be heid in the brackets. The reduced ends will preferably be rounded somewhat so as not to damage the pockets. The large intermediate portion of the bar will not be accommodated in the pockets by the stitching 82 and 83, and the bar is, of course, of a dimension so as not to apply any substantial tension to the intermediate hem section, to permit easy removal of the bar by slightly stretching the hem as in the case of the article of bedding 30 illustrated in Figure 6. The top and bottom sides of the hem portions 85 are stitched together as shown at 86.

Figures 10 and 11 illustrate another form of hem construction for an article of bedding 87. The hem construction in Figure 10 is similar to that in Figure 8 exposts.

ceptthat'in severirlgthe hem at theispaced points only the top side 91 of the hem is cut out as shown as 89 and 90, the remaining bight portion and rear side of the hem at these points being left unsevered. The lines of stitching 92 or 93 are similar tothe lines of stitchingfiZ and 83 to divide the openings atopposite ends of the intermediate hem section 94- into the relatively largeapertures 96 and the relatively small apertures 97 for the purpose described in connection with Figure 8. No pockets are provided since the small apertures "are open-ended. The bar 49 is, of course, inserted into the hem through one of the apertures 96, and to guide the bar the diagonal lines of stitching 95 are. provided,being connected by the horizontal line of stitching 95 whichrextends somewhat above a line connecting thestitching 92 and93 to accommodate the bar.

Figure 12 .shows a hem construction for an article of bedding 98 whichis like-that shown in Figure except that the topside 99 of'the hem100 is cut toprovide the circular openings101 at the laterally spacedpoints, the

openings 101 being'divided into relatively large andrelatively small apertures between-lines of'stitching 102 and front and back sides of the hem to more definitely separate the relatively large and relatively small openings.

It willbe understood that ineach instance where a hem construction is shown, includingthat of Figure 14 about to be described, the opposite end of thesheet may be provided with a similar hem.

Figures 14, 15, 16and 17. illustrate stillanother form of hem construction for an articleof bedding 110. Although only one corner of the hem construction is shown in Figure 14, it will be appreciated that the opposite corner along the hem will be a mirror image of that shown.

The hem construction showniin'Figure 14 is similar to that shown in Figure 10 anddiifers essentially in that the top side 111 of the hem is merely severedor cut along a single straight line 112 at laterally spaced points instead of having a portion thereof notched or out out as shown at 89 and 90 in Figure 10. In addition, 'a reinforcing strip 113 is applied to the intermediate portion 114 of the hem with one edge of the strip substantially coincident with the cut line 112. The strip 113 issuitably stitched to the article of bedding along the lines 114 and is provided to reinforce the opening provided by the cut 112 into the intermediatesection 114 of the hem. Each opening provided by the cut 112 is divided into a pair of apertures 115'and .1 16. bythe stitching 117,- all as inFigure 10. In addition, the lines of stitching 95 and 95' shown in Figure 10 may also be employed in the construction shown in Figure 14.

It'will be appreciated that the lines of stitching 95 and 95 may beemployed in any of the hem constructions herein illustrated.

In each of the hem constructions illustrated in Figures 1014, it will be seen that theends of the hem laterally outwardly beyond the openings serve as finger grips to aid in inserting the bar.

Referring now to Figure 19, another form of attaching bracket is illustrated. The attaching bracket there shown is designated by the number 120 and has a flange 121 for attachment either to the front or rear face of the corner Suitable holes 122 are provided for receiving mounting screws.

Projecting at right angles to the flange 121 is a second flange 123 which is provided with a series of vertically spaced'slots 124 of a dimension to closely but freely receive the reduced ends 51 of the bar. It will be appreciated that the attaching brackets will be employed in pairs and will cooperate to support the opposite reduced ends of the bar 49.

Where the brackets 120 are employed at the foot of a bed, they will preferably be arranged with the flanges 123 extending rearwardly of the bed, that is, with the flanges 121 respectively secured to the rear faces of the foot posts. On the other hand, where the attaching brackets 120 are employed at the head of a bed, they will be arranged with the flanges '123 preferably extending forwardly of the bed with the slots opening away from the foot of the bed, the flanges 121 being respectively secured to the front sides of the bed posts.

It will be appreciated that the pairs of attaching brackets 120 will preferably be mounted with the slots 124 of one bracket respectively aligned with the slots of the other bracket.

In order to prevent the accidental withdrawal of the reduced ends of a bar 19 from any of the slots 124, the retaining members 125 are provided. One such retaining member is provided for each slot 124 and they are suitably secured to the attaching brackets by screws or rivets 12d. The-retaining members 125 are generally Ushaped and have legs 127 which respectively embrace opposite sides of the associated slot. inwardly directed portions 128 on the legs 127 overlie a portion of the associated recess and preventthe accidental withdrawal of thereduced end51 of a-bar fro-m the slot.

Since these retaining members are of resilient sheet metal construction -or other suitable resilient material, and since the inner sides of'the legs are provided with cam surfaces 129, it is apparent that the reduced ends of a bar can easily be inserted in or withdrawn from the slots by the application of a small amount of pressure,

but that accidental removal of the bars is prevented.

Figures 21 and 22 show still another attaching bracket identified by the number 130. The brackets 130 are tubular and are likewise employed in pairs with one bracket at each side of the bed and disposed in upright position with the vertical slots 131 facing inwardly or towards each other. If a pair of brackets 130 are to be applied at the foot of the bed, one such bracket will be applied to each foot post with the slots 131 facing inwardly or towards each other.

The brackets 130 have aligned openings 132 and aligned openings 133 for receiving mounting screws to attach the brackets to the front or rear sides of the corner posts. The aligned openings134 and the aligned openings 135 are provided for receiving mounting screws to attach the brackets to the inner faces of the corner posts.

The slot 131 of each attaching bracket 130 is formed with a plurality of vertically spaced notches .136. A collar or sleeve 137 is slidable and rotatable along the length of the tubular bracket 130 and is provided for overlying the reduced end of a bar inserted into the slot 131. The collar 137 is split as indicated at 138 so that it may be rotated to a position permitting the upward withdrawal of the reduced end of a. bar through the open upper end 139 of the slot.

In order to retain the collar against sliding movement lengthwise of the tubular attaching member, an inwardly directed lug 140 is provided along the split edge of the collar which is selectively receivable in the notches 136 merely upon rotation of the collar. Preferably, a plurality of collars 137 are provided so that one may be employed in connection with each sheet holding bar 49. However, it will be appreciated that only one collar per bracket may be employed if desired which will be effective to hold down a plurality of bars.

Figure 23 shows still another means for retaining a bar 49 in position with respect to the bed. Figure 23 illustrates a foot post 150 having the invention applied thereto, and it will be appreciated that the opposite foot post will be similarly constructed. Also, it is contemplated that the head posts may be formed similarly to the foot posts.

As shown in Figure 23, the inner face 151 of the foot post 150 is provided with a slot or recess 152 which extends vertically to the top of the post and which is of a dimension to freely receive the reduced ends of a bar 49. The opposite ends of a bar or bars 49 may be easily manipulated into the opposed recesses in the foot posts and pins 153 are provided for retaining the bars against upward movement relative to the posts. Along the front and rear faces of the corner post 150 are provided a vertically spaced series of openings 154 which extend transversely of the slot 152 and which open thereinto. These openings 154 are designed to slidably receive pins 153 for cooperating with the bars 49 in holding a sheet or other article of bedding in place.

The drawings and foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved sheet holder in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a bed having an article of bed clothing thereon, of means for holding said article in position on said bed comprising an elongated bar having an intermediate body portion and end portions of reduced cross-section relative to said intermediate body portion, a hem along one edge of the article of bed clothing having openings at longitudinally spaced points, said openings being of a size suflicient to receive said end portions but insufficient to receive said intermediate portion, another opening in said hem adjacent one of said first mentioned openings of a size to receive the intermediate portion, said bar being insertable into said hem through said other opening and being disposed in said hem with the end portions projecting through said first mentioned openings, the distance between the end portions of said bar being approximately equal to the distance between said first mentioned openings whereby said bar may be removed from said hem by slight lengthwise stretching of the latter, and attaching means at one end of the bed releasably engageable with the end portions of said bar.

2. Structure as defined in claim 1 in which said bar has tapering portions connecting said intermediate por tion and said end portions.

3. Structure as defined in claim 1 in which said hem is a strip of material distinct from the article of bed clothing and stitched to the latter along said one edge thereof, the spaced openings in said hem being respectively spaced laterally inwardly from the opposite extremities of the said one edge.

4. Structure as defined in claim 3 in which tabs are secured to the hem adjacent the openings to provide finger grips facilitating insertion and removal of said bar.

5. The combination with a bed having an article of bed clothing thereon, of means for holding said article in position on said bed comprising an elongated bar having an intermediate portion and end portions of reduced cross-section relative to said intermediate portion, means along an edge of the article of bed clothing for supporting said bar having spaced recesses adapted to receive said end portions, said recesses being of a size insufficient to receive the intermediate portion, the distance between the end portions of said bar approximating the distance between said recesses permitting the bar to be removed from said supporting means by slightly stretching said edge of said article longitudinally, and attaching means at one end of the bed releasably engageable with said bar.

6. The combination with a bed having an article of bed clothing thereon, of means for holding said article in position on said bed comprising an elongated bar having an intermediate portion and end portions of reduced cross-section, a hem along one edge of the article of bed clothing, said hem having top and bottom sides and a connecting bight portion, the top and bottom sides and the bight portion of said hem being severed at longitudinally spaced points to provide an intermediate hem section, lines of stitching connecting the top and bottom sides of said intermediate hem section adjacent the ends thereof and extending lengthwise of said intermediate section in spaced relation to said bight portion, thereby dividing each end into first and second sleeve-like portions, the first sleeve-like portions defined between said lines of stitching and said bight portion being closed at their ends by lines of stitching to form pockets and being of a size sufficient to receive the end portions of said bar but insufiicient to receive the intermediate portion thereof, the second sleeve-like portions of each pair being open and large enough to receive said bar, said bar being disposed in said intermediate hem section with its reduced ends projecting into said first pockets, and attaching means at one end of the bed releasably sup porting with the end portions of said bar enclosed by said pockets.

7. The combination with a bed having an article of bed clothing thereon, of means for holding said article in position on said bed comprising an elongated bar having an intermediate portion and end portions of reduced cross-section relative to said intermediate portion, a hem along one edge of the article of bed clothing, said hem having top and bottom sides and a connecting bight portion, one side only of said hem being cut at longitudinally spaced points to provide openings into said hem, lines of stitching connecting the top and bottom sides of said hem between said openings, said lines of stitching being respectively adjacent said openings and extending lengthwise of said hem in spaced relation to said bight portion, thereby dividing each opening into first and second apertures, the first apertures defined between said lines of stitching and said bight portion being of a size sufficient to receive the end portions of said bar but insufiicient to receive the intermediate portion thereof, the second apertures of each pair being large enough to receive said bar, said bar being disposed in said hem with its reduced ends projecting through said first opertures, the distance between the end portions of said bar being slightly greater than the distance between said first apertures whereby to tension the portion of said hem therebetween, and attaching means at one end of the bed releasably engageable with the end portions of said bar.

8. Structure as defined in claim 7 in which said openings are each in the form of single annular holes permitting access to both first and second apertures.

9. Structure as defined in claim 7 in which said openings each comprise a pair of annular holes respectively permitting access to said first and second apertures.

10. Structure as defined in claim 7 in which said openings are in the form of slits having reinforcing strips therealong.

11. Structure as defined in Claim 7 in which said one side of said hem is notched or cut out to provide the openings.

12. The combination with a bed having an article of bed clothing thereon, of means for holding said article in position on said bed comprising an elongated bar having an intermediate portion and end portions of reduced cross section relative to said intermediate portion, a hem along one edge of the article of bed clothing, said hem having top and bottom sides and a connecting bight portion, said hem being cut at longitudinally spaced points to provide openings into said hem, lines of stitching connecting the top and bottom sides of said hem between said openings, said lines of stitching being respectively adjacent said openings and extending lengthwise of said hem in spaced relation to said bight portion, thereby dividing each opening into first and second apertures, the first apertures defined between said lines of stitching and said bight'portion being of a size sufiicient to receive the end portions of said bar but insufficient to receive the intermediate portion thereof, the second apertures of each pair being large enough to receive said bar, said bar being disposed in said hem with its reduced ends projecting through said first apertures, the distance between the end portions of said bar approximately the distance between said first apertures permitting the bar to be removed from said firstapertures by slightly stretching the hem longitudinally, lines of stitching connecting the top and bottom sides of said hem extending generally longitudinally of said hem from said second apertures and arranges to guide said bar toward the first aperture of one opening during insertion thereof into said hem through the second aperture of the other opening.

13. The combination with a bed having an article of bed clothing thereon, of means for holding said article in position on said bed comprising an elongated bar, means for supporting said bar along an edge of the article of bed clothing including spaced receiver portions adapted to receive the respective ends of said bar, the distance between the ends of said bar approximating the distance between said receiver portions permitting said bar to be removed from said receiver portions by slightly stretching said edge of said article of bed clothing longitudinally, and means at one end of the bed releasably engageable with said bar.

14. In combination, a bed having a frame and a resilient support including a mattress supported on said frame, an article of bed clothing having hems at opposite ends and extending over said mattress with the hem ends turned downwardly over the head and foot ends of the mattress respectively, elongated bars respectively received in said hems, and means for holding said article taut across said mattress comprising attaching means at opposite ends of said bed frame and beyond the respective ends of said mattress for releasably gripping said bars to apply a direct downward pull on said downturned hem ends, said holding means cooperating with said resilient support to place said article of bed clothing under a yielding tension.

15. The structure set forth in claim 14 including an additional article of bed clothing positioned on said mattress beneath the first-mentioned article and held in place by the latter.

16. The combination with a bed having an article of bed clothing thereon, of means for holding said article in position on said bed comprising an elongated bar, a hem extending along one edge of said article receiving said bar, and attaching means at one end of said bed releasably holding said bar in fixed position, said bar and hem having releasable cooperating engaging means for positively holding said bar in position against longitudinal movement relative to said hem. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 187,777 Sargent Feb. 27, 1877 1,214,090 Spaulding Jan. 30, 1917 1,584,387 Littlejohn May 11, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 239,131 Great Britain Sept. 3, 1925 320,480 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1929 

